Donata Huggins writes about politics. She is @donatahuggins on Twitter.

Kim Kardashian, the reality TV star, "signals the decline of Western civilisation," according Dr Helen Wright, the headmistress of St Mary's School, Wiltshire. She said:

“It is not too strong a statement, I venture to suggest, to say that almost everything that is wrong with Western society today can be summed up in that one symbolic photo of Miss Kim Kardashian on the front of Zoo magazine. The descent of Western civilisation can practically be read into every curve (of which, you will note, there are indeed many). Officially the hottest woman in the world? Really? Is this what we want our young people to aim for? Is this what success should mean to them?”

A bit of an exaggeration, no? Let's be clear: the financial system… Read More

Much as "Boris Bikes" were Ken's idea, but were implemented and seized by Boris Johnson, the Tories are at risk of losing credit for coming up with elected police commissioners. Yesterday, Ed Miliband and Yvette Cooper launched their candidates' campaign. The list included high-profile figures such as Lord Prescott for Humberside, Vera Baird, previously solicitor-general, for Northumbria; Jane Kennedy, who was environment minister, for Merseyside; and James Plaskitt, a former work and pensions minister, in Warwickshire.

The Tories, however, have nobody of note. Their most exciting contender, Colonel Tim Collins – the Iraq war veteran who came to fame through his emotive speech to troops in 2003 – pulled out last month. He doesn't have time to attend the selection meetings.

He's been retweeting the horrors: JStott1975 reports that at British Gas in Bolton workers had different coloured cards for staff to wave explaining why they needed the toilet. Kevin Mulholland ‏says he was allowed just four minutes' break per day, while Annabel Deas says she wasn't even allowed to "doodle" (whatever that means).

Owen responded, as he has before, by accusing his critics of being obsessed with him. But of course we are, Owen. Your writing is fabulous – and your commitment to the People's Plight, be it big… Read More

One of nine-year-old Martha Payne's school dinners. Photo: NEVERSECONDS/MARTHA PAYNE

The nine-year-old girl, Martha Payne, whose school dinners blog, NeverSeconds, became an internet sensation has been silenced by her local council, Argyll and Bute. Her final post reads:
Goodbye.

This morning in maths I got taken out of class by my head teacher and taken to her office. I was told that I could not take any more photos of my school dinners because of a headline in a newspaper today.

I only write my blog not newspapers and I am sad I am no longer allowed to take photos. I will miss sharing and rating my school dinners and I’ll miss seeing the dinners you send me too. I don’t think I will be able to finish raising enough money for a kitchen for Mary’s Meals either.

Unpaid work experience can make it harder for poor kids to climb the social ladder

Britain's political classes are hysterical – and the debate around the Jubilee job seekers "forced" to work for free demonstrates this at its worst. The Left have cried "slave labour", while the Right accuse them of sawing away the ladder of social mobility. Neither side are willing to acknowledge that there can be good and bad types of unpaid work experience.

In the case of the Jubilee workers, it was good experience. Sure, the "bridge incident" that left the workers sleeping outside tarnishes this claim, but in principle it offered them the chance to learn new skills at no personal cost. They were bussed to London, clothed and given training that resulted in an NVQ in crowd safety. Not to mention… Read More

Baroness Warsi is being investigated for breaking the ministerial rules. Photo: LORNE CAMPBELL/GUZELIAN

David Cameron isn't racist for referring Baroness Warsi to the independent adviser on ministerial behaviour, but he's going to be open to the accusation until he refers Jeremy Hunt too. The New Statesman states the charge here and here.

As Paul Goodman writes in the Telegraph today:
[Lady Warsi's] treatment is bound to be compared with that of Jeremy Hunt, who was notably not referred by Mr Cameron to Sir Alex Allan. On the one hand, we have a public-school-educated white Christian man. And on the other, a comprehensive-educated Asian Muslim woman. Guess which one is reproved by No 10?
Quite. But I can see how Mr Cameron has come to this conclusion. He knows he's put Lady Warsi in the wrong job. His party have been complaining… Read More

David Cameron was right when he said that corporate lobbying was "the next big scandal waiting to happen" – in a way, the stories in the papers today about Jeremy Hunt and News International lobbyist Frederic Michel are evidence of that. People are shocked that the Culture Secretary could be so close to Rupert Murdoch's man in Westminster. So what's Dave's solution? He's introducing a public register of lobbyists in 2015.

I sort of admire the weakness of the proposal. At least it's honest – regulating the lobbying industry and their contact with politicians will be difficult. The two worlds and the people within them are practically inseparable.

The reason is simple: political jobs are badly paid and lobbying jobs are not – yet both jobs require the same skills,… Read More

Michael Gove surprised people with an impressive performance before the Leveson Inquiry yesterday. (Photo: Reuters)

Michael Gove for Conservative Party leader? Can you imagine it? The collective mind of Twitter can – journalists and politicos of all persuasions jumped to the idea after his appearance before Leveson yesterday (Guido Fawkes collected the best).

His performance was marvellous. He made an impassioned plea for liberty and common sense with plenty of lines to make the conservative heart sing: "The cry 'something must be done' isn't always wise" and "Some of us believe that before the case for regulation is made, the case for liberty needs to be asserted as well."

I was raised thinking I was a Tory. I can clearly remember defending my Dad's choice to vote for John Major in 1997 aged 10 (cool, I know). I was told that the Tories would look out for the Hugginses in their right-to-buy council house. Families like ours believe in the "conservative values" of hard work and common sense, yada, yada.

On Wednesday, Chris Grayling issued a prescription for how the Tories can get back in touch with core voters like my mum and dad, suggesting that big moments like David Cameron's EU veto are the way to do it. Now, I'm not sure where my own political allegiances lie these days, but I can tell you this:… Read More

Social mobility is this month's buzzword. All three parties have despatched a middle-class man to make a heartfelt speech on class and opportunity: Nick Clegg called himself "lucky" today, yesterday Ed Miliband regaled us with the story of his Dad, and two weeks ago Michael Gove called inequality "morally indefensible". And yet none of their speeches seem to have made an impact. Why?

My theory is they all misunderstand the lives of most Brits, fantasising too much about the day we get another working class lad into Downing Street. It's an important debate, but the truth is that only a small percentage of the British population will ever go to Oxbridge – and a much smaller percentage will end up on the Government front bench. That will never change, and consequently,… Read More